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When it’s cold out, lemonade stands and car washes just aren’t going to be possible. Most fundraising ideas that need to take place outside are complete no-goes in the middle of winter. Fortunately, we’re here to give you 12 different winter fundraising ideas so that you can keep that cash flowing during the colder months.
The answer is pretty simple: Host a fundraising event at a banquet center. It’s convenient, practical, and best of all, fun. No participants will have to go door to door in the cold selling cookies or wrapping paper or anything else. Instead, everyone will be nice and cozy in a comfortable event space that suits their needs, enjoying a fun night with their community and raising money for a good cause while they’re at it.
Hosting a fundraising event at a banquet center in St. Charles, MO, is a great idea whether you’re raising money for a youth group, sports team, booster club, or any other organization that needs financial support to keep going. We’ll go over some of the most popular types of fundraisers to hold inside a banquet center this season to hopefully get your ideas flowing for your own event!
Mouse Race
We’re starting off with a bang. This is one of the more unique winter fundraising ideas on our list, and it’s sure to delight your guests with its novelty. Basically, you work with a vendor that brings in the mice to the venue of your choice (a banquet center in St. Charles, MO, is definitely an option, even if it seems a bit unlikely). They’ll handle the races and any side games they might also bring.
When you’re looking for winter fundraising ideas that your organization has never done before, a mouse race could be a great place to start.
Casino Night
Make believe you’re a real high roller for a night. Of all the winter fundraising ideas we’ve put on here, this one is definitely one of the most interactive for your guests. You can have different casino games set up throughout a banquet center in St. Charles, MO, and your guests will enjoy playing them without the stress of actual gambling.
Typically these events work in one of a few ways. A certain level of donation equals a certain amount of play money or chips, and then they can play the games until they run out. That way, no actual gambling is going on. At the end of the night, you might have them turn in their remaining chips for raffle tickets and give out prizes randomly, or you can give first, second, and third place prizes to those with the most chips.
Whatever way you decide to go about it, a casino night can be a great use of a banquet center in St. Charles, MO, for your next fundraiser.
Gala
For those communities that like a lot of glitz and glamor, putting on a fancy gala night can be a great winter fundraising idea. They typically involve a seated dinner for the guests as well as some form of entertainment. A banquet center in St. Charles, MO, would be the perfect venue for a gala — you can decorate the space and make it an event to remember.
These are the bare bones of a gala, but you can customize the event to fit the personality of your group. You can choose a theme that would appeal to your members or community members and add as many elements as you can pull off. Or, if you’d like to keep it simple, galas can be elegant in their restraint, too.
Trivia Night
This is one of the most popular winter fundraising ideas out there, and it’ll be good for lots of different types of groups. This is another idea where there’s a lot of room for customization. You can choose an overarching theme for your trivia fundraiser, or you can pick several different themes for the questions, one for each round.
Try to pick some stuff that your guests will know about, because it’s never fun to have no clue about any of the questions. Your main goal is raising money for your cause, but you also want to make sure your guests have a good time so that they’ll come back for your next event at a banquet center in St. Charles, MO!
Bingo Night
While trivia might feel a little intimidating or feel a little intense for some folks, everybody can relax and enjoy a game of bingo. There’s not a whole lot of skill involved — just listening and watching your card. Bingo night is a great fit for all ages. Kids, grandparents, and everyone in between can all enjoy the evening, which can increase your turnout and the success of the event.
In terms of planning, this is one of the winter fundraising ideas that’s on the less intensive side. You’ll need a caller, the equipment, prizes, and a venue, but that’s pretty much it. At a banquet center in St. Charles, MO, or wherever is convenient for you, your organization can set up and enjoy a fun night for all your guests.
You might charge per bingo card, or you might have a flat fee for unlimited games. You’ll also have to decide what type of bingo you’re playing — are you counting four corners and blackouts? Whatever you decide, just make sure all your guests are on the same page.
Video or Board Game Tournaments
Tap into your competitive side with a tournament of your organization’s favorite games. You can find a banquet center in St. Charles, MO, that’s equipped to hold these kinds of events and then let loose!
You’ll need a little more equipment for a video game tournament than you will for some other types of fundraisers, but it’s definitely worth the extra set up if your community is into gaming. Or, if you’d rather go the board game route, all you need is enough copies of the game and enough tables for your participants. Set it all up at a banquet center in St. Charles, MO, and watch the good times (and funds) roll in.
Fashion Show
Ever dream of strutting the runway? When you decide to put together a fashion show as your organization’s next fundraising event, you can make lots of those dreams come true. Of course, this is one of the winter fundraising ideas that requires quite a bit of planning. You’ll have to get vendors for the clothes, volunteers to be the models, and staff to run the event. All that work beforehand will be a lot, but it will also pay off big time.
Selecting a theme can be one of the most fun parts of this winter fundraising idea. Some organizations choose to go with a kids or baby clothes theme, and which is sure to be a hit if you’re raising money for a parent-focused cause.
You might not think a banquet center in St. Charles, MO, would be a likely candidate to hold a fashion show, but here at Trigg Banquet Center, we’ve hosted them in the past and would love to have more in the future!
Karaoke Night
Performing your favorite jams at a karaoke night can be a super fun way to raise money for your cause. It’s relatively low-cost — you’ll have to find a venue like a banquet center in St. Charles, MO, and you’ll have to rent the equipment, but that’s pretty much it. You can charge for tickets, require a fee to get up and sing, or collect donations to get somebody to sing. For example, if it’s a school fundraiser, you might encourage people to donate in order to get the principal up to the mic.
Adding prizes at the end of the night can be a fun way to reward people for having the guts to get up and sing in front of the group. You can have a panel of judges vote on several superlative categories including the best overall performance. Or, you can make it a no judgment zone.
Whether karaoke is the main event or just an add-on to another one of our winter fundraising ideas, it’s a high-energy and memorable experience that can really draw a group together.
Silent Auction
As a go-to fundraising choice for lots of organizations, this one is a classic for a reason. Silent auctions are relatively easy to put together, and they pair well with some other winter fundraising ideas on our list, which can help make the evening even more successful. Just get a lot of cool things for your guests to bid on in a banquet center in St. Charles, MO, and make sure everyone has a good time while they’re perusing their options. That can include some form of entertainment or refreshments.
The biggest planning portion of a silent auction is acquiring the prizes that you’ll auction off at the event. Asking for donations from your members is one route you can go down. Or, you might ask local businesses if they’d like to support the cause. However you choose to fill out the auction, you should try to tailor it to things your guests will actively want to bid on. They don’t all have to be big-ticket items (although that certainly wouldn’t hurt), but they should be thoughtfully curated.
Raffle
This tends to be one of the less planning-intensive winter fundraising ideas that you can host at a banquet center in St. Charles, MO. You don’t need a lot of equipment or staff, you just need some prizes that bring people in. It’s one of the more convenient winter fundraising ideas, but it can be really elevated if you use your imagination.
Like a lot of the winter fundraising ideas that work well at banquet centers, this one can be added on to a different event, like a gala, for example. Or, it can also easily be incorporated into some of the other competitive ideas we’ve already listed, like trivia or bingo night — you can have your guests compete for raffle tickets. Whatever way you go about it, this is a certified classic fundraiser for a reason.
Bake Sale
If you’ve got a group of folks who have a sweet tooth, a bake sale at a banquet center in St. Charles, MO, could be the perfect choice out of the winter fundraising ideas we’ve listed here. Winter is definitely baking season, after all, and lots of us like to turn to comfort foods in the colder months. A bake sale is no different.
A tried-and-true classic, bake sales work for lots of different occasions and organizations. It’s a good one that spreads out the required work because each person can bring in one different baked good, so the leader of the fundraiser doesn’t have to do all of the preparation on their own.
If you’re looking to host this kind of fundraiser at a banquet center in St. Charles, MO, then you don’t need to worry about running afoul of Missouri laws — you can definitely sell home baked goods at events like these.
Start planning your fundraiser.
No matter which of these winter fundraising ideas you decide to go with, you’re sure to have a successful event at a banquet center in St. Charles, MO. They’re great options for hosting your fundraiser because they feel more elevated than a high school gym, but they’re still convenient, comfortable, and most importantly in the winter months, warm and cozy. You’re going to have a great time!
If you’re looking for a place that fits the bill, you can start right here at Trigg Banquet Center. We’re well equipped to host any of the winter fundraising ideas we’ve listed here as well as lots of other events, fundraiser or not.
Birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, family reunions, and all sorts of other get-togethers are all great fits for our space. We’d be happy to have a conversation about what you need for your event to see if we’d be a good fit. Don’t hesitate to reach out — we look forward to hearing from you!